Synagogue in Hartmanice

The Mountain Synagogue in Hartmanice is a small but remarkable landmark in the Šumava mountain village of Hartmanice, in the Klatovy district of the Plzeň region. It holds the record of being the highest-altitude synagogue in the Czech Republic, and regional guides often describe it as the highest-situated synagogue in Central Europe altogether. Standing away from the busiest tourist routes, surrounded by the hills of Šumava, the building's setting alone leaves an impression on visitors.

Why was a synagogue built in a mountain village?

The synagogue was constructed between 1883 and 1898 to serve the local Jewish community gathered around Hartmanice, which numbered around two hundred people at its peak. The building hosted regular religious services until the 1930s. In 1938, following the annexation of the Sudetenland by Nazi Germany, the synagogue was shut down by the occupying authorities, effectively ending organized Jewish religious life in the area.

What happened to the building after the war?

After the Second World War, the synagogue lost its original purpose and spent decades serving purely practical functions — at various points it housed a carpentry workshop and a tire storage facility. Under the communist regime nobody was responsible for its upkeep, and the structure gradually fell into disrepair. For years it looked destined to become a permanent ruin.

How was it saved from collapse?

The rescue came through community initiative: the civic association Památník Hartmanice, founded by Michal Klíma, took on the difficult task of restoring the derelict building. The work was completed in 2006, when the synagogue was ceremonially reopened to the public. The restoration earned the Building of the Year 2006 award in the Plzeň region — recognition that the project respected the structure's historical character rather than just patching it up.

What can visitors see inside today?

Since 2006, the synagogue has housed a museum dedicated to the coexistence of Czechs, Germans, and Jews in the Šumava region, and to the memory of the local Jewish community that once shaped everyday life in Hartmanice. The exhibition covers how these three groups lived side by side and how that multicultural fabric unraveled during the war and the postwar expulsions. The building is not treated as a static museum piece, though — it regularly hosts concerts, lectures, theatrical performances, and conversations with eyewitnesses, keeping it a living gathering place rather than just a historical exhibit.

Why is it worth the trip?

The Mountain Synagogue in Hartmanice combines several things rarely found together: a genuinely unusual high-altitude setting, a dramatic story of destruction and revival, and an ongoing role as the cultural heart of a small village. It tells the story of Šumava's multicultural past in a far more tangible way than any information panel could, simply because the building itself lived through that history.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Mountain Synagogue in Hartmanice really the highest-situated synagogue? Yes — regional sources consistently describe it as the highest-altitude synagogue in the Czech Republic, with some even placing it as the highest in Central Europe.

When was the synagogue built and for whom? It was built between 1883 and 1898 for the local Jewish community, which numbered around two hundred people at its height.

What is inside the synagogue today? Since 2006 it has housed a museum on the coexistence of Czechs, Germans, and Jews in Šumava, along with a hall used for concerts, lectures, and performances.

Was the building ever destroyed or abandoned? Yes — after being closed in 1938 it served practical purposes such as a workshop and storage space, then fell into ruin under the communist regime, before being fully restored in 2006 thanks to the Památník Hartmanice association.